The best settings depend on what is holding your PC back: CPU, GPU, or RAM. Start with the game’s first-launch hardware detection, then adjust only the settings tied to the limiting component. For CPU-limited dips in busy areas, lower AI Vehicle Density and Pedestrian Density. For a GPU limit, try DLSS if your NVIDIA GPU supports it, then reduce demanding visual settings or resolution as needed.
Start with the component that limits performance
The Bus Simulator team’s September 25, 2026 hardware and performance guide says the CPU handles much of the city simulation. Its first-launch hardware detection is a useful starting point, not a guarantee that every setting will suit your PC. Compare your CPU, GPU, and available RAM individually with the game’s reference categories; use the weakest component to set your baseline, while allowing stronger components to support higher settings in their areas.
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- CPU-limited: If frame rates drop in busy areas, reduce AI Vehicle Density and Pedestrian Density first. Lowering GPU-heavy image settings may not address simulation-related slowdown.
- GPU-limited: Try DLSS if supported, then reduce Global Illumination, Shadows, or Reflections / Effects. If performance is still inadequate, lower resolution.
- RAM-limited: Close unnecessary background applications. The official guide says an upgrade may be needed when available memory falls short of the category you are targeting; adding RAM is not established as an FPS improvement when memory is not the bottleneck.
- Mixed or uncertain: Change one relevant setting at a time and compare performance in the same kind of scene. The guide does not provide a controlled test procedure or quantified before-and-after results, so treat this as a diagnostic approach rather than a guaranteed fix.
Which settings should you change?
For a CPU bottleneck: reduce city traffic and pedestrians
Lower AI Vehicle Density and Pedestrian Density before broadly cutting visual quality. These settings affect the simulated activity the CPU must handle. They are especially relevant if performance worsens in crowded areas rather than remaining consistently low across scenes.
For a GPU bottleneck: use DLSS, then trim visual load
If your NVIDIA GPU supports DLSS, the official guide recommends starting with Quality for a balance of image quality and performance. Try Balanced if you need more performance, or Performance for greater GPU relief, particularly at high resolutions such as 4K. If that is not enough, reduce Global Illumination, Shadows, and Reflections / Effects, then consider lowering resolution.
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DLSS and Frame Generation do not fix CPU-limited slowdowns. If the main problem is a frame-rate drop in a busy city area, address simulation density instead of expecting an upscaling or frame-generation option to remove the CPU limit.
For a RAM bottleneck: reduce competing memory use
Close applications you do not need while playing. The official guide makes a RAM upgrade conditional on having less memory than the category you are targeting; it does not say that more memory automatically raises FPS. Confirm that memory is the constraint before buying hardware.
Resolution and performance targets in the official guide
The Bus Simulator team’s 2026 guidance gives these resolution and frame-rate targets by PC category. They are publisher recommendations, not independent benchmark results or guaranteed outcomes on every system.
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| PC category | Official guidance |
|---|---|
| Low End PC | 1080p (FHD) |
| Basic PC | 1080p (FHD) |
| Standard PC | 1080p or 1440p (WQHD), depending on the preferred balance of graphics quality and frame rate |
| Performance PC | 1080p for 60+ FPS at High settings, or 1440p if accepting a lower frame rate |
| High End PC | 1440p at 60+ FPS, or around 50 FPS at 4K (UHD) at Epic settings |
Resolution directly affects GPU workload. If your GPU is struggling, lowering resolution or enabling DLSS are among the guide’s first suggestions. For a CPU limit, changing resolution may do little because it does not reduce the city simulation workload.
Check your PC against the official requirements
The official Bus Simulator FAQ lists the following PC requirements and identifies Unreal Engine 5. Meeting a listed requirement does not guarantee a particular frame rate or graphics preset.
| Requirement | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows 11 64-bit | Windows 11 64-bit |
| Processor | Core i3-12100 / Ryzen 5 2600X or better | Core i7-14100KF / Ryzen 5 9600X or better |
| Memory | 16 GB RAM or more | 32 GB RAM or more |
| Graphics | Nvidia GTX 1060 / AMD Radeon RX 580 or better | Nvidia RTX 2080 Ti / AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT or better |
| DirectX | DirectX 12 | DirectX 12 |
| Available disk space | 20 GB | 20 GB |
Use these specifications as reference points, not as a reason to upgrade automatically. For example, an RTX 2080 Ti appears in the official recommended graphics requirements, but a GPU purchase is only a sensible path if diagnosis shows that the GPU is limiting performance.
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Verify the game version before troubleshooting
Performance can also depend on updates, not just graphics settings. The official changelog records performance and stability improvements across updates. PC 1.09 hotfix notes mention further performance improvements and optimizations, and update notes also document an added shader-compilation indicator. The notes do not quantify the gains, so they do not establish how much faster a particular system should run.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteCheck that the game is up to date before spending time tuning settings around a problem that may have been addressed. If you still see stuttering or low FPS, return to the CPU/GPU/RAM diagnosis and change the setting most closely tied to the observed limit.
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